Wolfsbane II: The Alpha
by Twilight Stallion
Summary: Just as Link thinks his life has returned to normal, he encounters a rivalry with a native wolf pack. The price for one soul's revenge may be Ordon itself. Aided only by shadow magic, Link must bridge two separate worlds before all he loves is destroyed.
1. Foreword

Yes, I know that my last attempt to write a sequel for _Wolfsbane_ was a failure. To those whose dreams I crushed when I deleted the sequel interlude without a word of explanation, I apologize. I was frustrated that it received so little feedback.

I have decided to try again. If you're interested, please read the short first chapter I've released and tell me what you think. Once again, it's continuation will solely depend on how many people want it. Please please please review, and let me know. Thank you for your time.

_Twilight Stallion_


	2. Chapter 1

_Before I am accused of seriously anthropomorphizing the new characters to come, I would like to point out that 1) it is intentional, and 2) it's so much more fun that way. _:)

* * *

The herd was on the move again. In a tidal wave of cloven hooves and shaggy blue hides, the Ordon goats scattered in a chaotic formation across the pasture, which was currently ablaze in a cloud of dust from the stampede. Unorganized trios split off, meant to confuse the snarling bandits winding around the edge of the herd. A midnight black wolf headed off the front-running goats, pearly teeth gnashing as he herded the ungulates in the opposite direction. An iron gray companion loped alongside the edge of the stampede, snapping at the heels of stragglers. Unbeknownst to the rest of the herd, an individual had already fallen, lost beneath the tumult of hooves. Whether by exhaustion or otherwise, the goat, a fledgling ram by the bony stumps that protruded from its skull, lay dying. The hunt complete, the black wolf and his gray companion trotted back to the weakly flailing body of the goat. Even when the animal lay still, they did not yet tear into its flesh, by mutual agreement. The black male lifted his muzzle to the heavens and howled, his clearly jubilant cry rumbling through the vale. _A kill! A kill we have made!_

Not a far distance away, the other members of the pack lumbered toward the speaker of the message, stomachs rumbling and eager to feast. The alpha determinedly strode at the lead, electric-blue eyes brightening at the sight of his beta and his companion beside the kill. Close at his heels walked a proud, though stiff-legged elder male, whose silver pelt glowed with ageless shine in the late summer sun. At the rear, meekly padding a few feet behind the others was a slender young female, of fur white as winter snow.

Argon shook his rangy, reddish brown ruff and quickened his steps toward the goat. _"I see no bite marks on its body,"_ he observed with a bemused growl.

The black beta male dipped his head in greeting to his leader. _"No, my Alpha. It must have stumbled and died beneath the stampede. We waited, as we expected you would want to feast upon the liver. As is your right."_

_"A wise choice, Kage," _Argon smiled crookedly, teeth flashing. _"For your efforts in the hunt, you and Randall have_ _the privilege to eat after I claim my share." _The gray male named Randall wagged his tail and yipped, obviously enjoying the small words of praise. Kage ignored his partner and bowed his head again.

The Alpha rushed ahead of the other two pack members and paused before the goat's body, eyes scanning its abdomen for the right place to tear into. With teeth bared hungrily, he was about to do just that.

_"ARGON!" _

An enraged bugle shattered the Alpha's concentration. Caught off guard, Argon whirled around with a snarl, meeting the eyes of a familiar, blue-eyed canine from several feet away. Black lips curled in an irate sneer, Argon said, _"Ah, if it isn't Link, the halpha. How may we be of service today?__"_

* * *

Link the wolf set his piercing gaze upon the russet Alpha, hackles raised. _"Don't patronize me, Argon," _he warned. _"I'm not here for small talk. You and your pack are_ _trespassing on village property, and have illegally slaughtered village livelihood." _

Argon glanced between his Beta and the others, making a noise in his throat. _"You speak such complex words; we are but simple brutes."_

_"Neither ignorance nor sweet words can alleviate your offense,"_ Link growled. _"I think I made myself clear when I told you that our goat herds are off limits."_

The Alpha's eyes narrowed with contempt. _"You do not have a pack to show for. What makes you think you can order me around?"_

_"You're mistaken,"_ said Link. _"I consider the entire village as my pack. I care for them as you would your fellows. Rather than hunt, we raise our livestock in order to provide food for everyone_. _When you steal a goat, you steal food from the mouths of a family. There is deer and other prey abundant in the forest; why do you insist on attacking the herd?"_

_"Why? Because the telltale deer you speak of are lower in numbers than ever before!" _Argon dared to step away from the kill and approached Link threateningly. _"You expect us to wrestle each other for scraps while you human folk greedily protect your wealth? Unreasonable!"_

Link paused, letting his gaze rest upon the other members of the pack. He knew of the Beta, Kage, as well as Randall. He also knew that the elder, whose name was Remus, used to lead the pack as Alpha. Only when Argon, a younger and fiercer competitor, joined the band did that change. After what he heard to be a bloodless coup, Argon took control of the pack, allowing Remus to stay on the condition of absolute subordination.

But who was the white female? Link had never seen her before. Noticing her unnaturally slender, perhaps underweight condition, Link could not deny Argon's argument.

_"I sympathize with your plight," _Link admitted, returning his stern glare to the Alpha. _"However, it is beyond my ability to help. The fact is, our ranchers would never tolerate wolves raiding the pasture. If your pack cannot find enough prey, perhaps you should consider migrating."_

Argon's snarl rumbled impotently in his chest, and he could only turn himself sharply toward the kill to avoid lashing out at the other male. He stared sullenly at the body, avoiding the gazes of his subordinates. Maw opened wide, he tore into the creature's belly, relishing the taste of hot meat. He withdrew his reddened nose with a fleshy brown slab in his jaws. His eyes flying to Link once more, the wolf continued to tear at his prize. A silent challenge.

With a huff, Link sidestepped away from the pack. _"Seeing as this goat is already dead, there's no sense in letting its lif_e _go to waste,"_ he said. _"See that I don't find you anywhere near this pasture or the village again. Or else Fado will want to test his new crossbow." _It was not an idle threat, but a promise.

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	3. Chapter 2

* * *

Nearly a month sailed past after Link's unsettling encounter with Argon's wolf pack, and by the time the moon was bright and full again, he felt assured that his dealings with them would only be fleeting, if existent. The herd suffered no more casualties due to wolf attacks, and even became calm and complacent with the waning summer. Autumn was to begin soon, and the season would bring with it a cornucopia of colors in the surrounding forest.

There was a final day where the sun shone undeterred over the rural village, warm and inviting, before blustery winds and cloudy days would take over life in Ordon. In the clearing where a single tree-house stood watchful, Link had sensed the finite nature of this beautiful day, and had decided to enjoy the sunshine. In his human form he stretched across the balcony of his house, back resting against the wall, eyes closed lightly.

When he decided to open his eyes, Link was startled to see Rusl standing at the base of the ladder, watching him comically. "Ah, you're awake," the old man stated with a smile. "Go fetch Epona and meet me in the woods. We're supposed to gather more firewood for tomorrow, remember?"

Rotating his shoulders stiffly, Link nodded lethargically. "How could I forget?"

"Then let's get a move on," Rusl waved his hand impatiently and started off out of the clearing.

Epona was awake and eager to greet her master, although the mare did not appreciate the harness Link strapped to her back. After complementing it with a leather halter, he pulled the reluctant horse along in pursuit of Faron Woods.

The entire village was in preparation for the feast that would take place the evening of the following day. It had been a tradition of Ordonians, ever since the conception of their community, to hold a renowned celebration on the first day of autumn, rightly dubbed the Equinox. Every family in Ordon contributed their staples to a magnificent feast, in order to showcase what they were able to sow throughout the year. Once the sun went down, a large bonfire would be lit, and there was the need for extra firewood.

Armed with his trusty axe, Rusl nodded to Link as they converged in Faron. "Tomorrow should be exciting, eh lad?"

"Well, it was more exciting when I was younger, I admit," said Link. Epona plodded beside them, occasionally swinging her head around to nip at the wooden crates fastened to each side of her harness.

"Why so?" Rusl asked him.

Link shrugged. "Back then I found more fun in waking up at dawn, I guess. And shoving Ilia into the lake when she wasn't looking, that was fun." He smiled vaguely at the memories. The Equinox was basically a holiday that every Ordonian child loved, to where the entire _year_ revolved around that single day.

Rusl nodded. "So when did it stop being fun?"

"It didn't, not really," Link protested. "I suppose… sometimes I wish Mother and Father were still around to celebrate with us."

A hush fell upon Rusl, and the older man cleared his throat. "I see."

Wanting to get off the solemn subject, Link broke the silence. "One year, Father somehow managed to buy fireworks from Castle Town. You remember that?"

"Oh yes." They both relished the change of subject. Rusl held up his hand for Link to stop, and gestured his axe toward a stooped and dying birch tree. "Of course, there was so much smoke in the air by the next morn, I could hardly breathe." With a sharp _WHACK,_ the axe swung into the ivory bark. "Unfortunately, since then we haven't been able to do anything that extravagant."

"Well, that's not what the feast is about anyway," Link said with a knowing nod. "It's about being grateful for our own survival, and to reap the rewards of our harvests."

"Indeed," Rusl smiled with pride. "I thought for a moment I heard your father speaking those words."

Words could not eloquently express how Link felt upon hearing that statement. Feeling a mixture of nostalgia and sadness welling up inside him, he turned to adjust Epona's harness, his mouth twitching in an ironically thin smile.

They spent most of the day in the forest, felling old, weak trees and chopping them into lumber. By the time the sky was orange and dusk was upon them, Epona's harness pack was heavy with wood, and the men saw fit to take a break by the Faron Spring before heading back home.

The pure water glimmered gold beneath the setting sun, and Link breathed a laden sigh, fatigued from the day's work. Rusl picketed Epona in a glade nearby, letting her graze for a short while, and joined Link by the spring. "That should be enough for tomorrow. If you don't mind, it would be great if we could bring Epona by my house so we can stack the wood in my shed."

"Sure thing."

"Lad, this reminds me of an evening just like this one, where I first talked to you about Hyrule several years back. Do you recall?"

Link did. It was eerie, even, how this twilight hour resembled that same one. Back then, Link had been unaware of its significance, how his life had drastically changed two days later…

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Link said. "It has to do with the wolves around these parts."

"Oh?" Rusl tuned in. "Been eavesdropping on the lives of our native creatures? Gods, to have your abilities, Link."

Chuckling, Link replied, "It's nothing like that. It's just... I never thought animals did much rational thinking on their part."

"They wouldn't, to my knowledge."

"But as time goes on, I find that the wolves have a much more…" Link pondered for the correct meaning. "…developed… way of living. They show a lot of human qualities I never thought possible. Even Epona has never seemed jealous, or vengeful like people do sometimes. But I've seen these wolves act like that, and it's strange."

The old man's face crinkled with a shadowy countenance. "That is rather disturbing. All I can think of that could be causing such a phenomenon are the Light Spirits."

"Come again?" Link was astounded that Rusl even knew of the Spirits' existence.

Rusl smirked at him. "They don't call them the Spirit Springs for nothing, boy," he said. "I'm no expert, but I know that the presence of such spirits often affect the land in unexplainable ways. Besides shaping the earth and aiding growth, the living creatures feel the changes, even if they don 't quite acknowledge them."

Link's eyebrows rose, and his gaze flitted to the spring, as if expected Faron the Spirit to appear with a second alibi. "That's food for thought."

"Who knows? The land undergoes change; it's a part of nature. The Spirits have been known to catalyze those shifts of pace. It could be that, over time, the wolves have evolved into a more intelligent breed. Less animalistic; more human-like in the way they think." Rusl frowned. "That may be a problem. We can't afford dangerous animals like that posing a threat to our goats."

"That's the thing," said Link. "I gave their alpha a clear warning about that, and I haven't heard from them since. Still, the silence unsettles me."

"For good reason." Rusl stared off into space, deep in thought. Link accepted the stillness, letting the sound of the rippling spring fill the void of conversation.

Finally, "I won't know of the circumstances, but this is the best advice I can give you: maintain a diplomatic relationship, if nothing more, with the pack. If there's no pact to be made, then you may have to agree to disagree, as they say."

Something told Link that too much had occurred to make such a rapport possible. Nevertheless, it was sound counsel, and Rusl had never led him astray before. "I'll try that," he said wearily. "But until the Equinox is over, I'd rather not think about it."

"Understandable," Rusl straightened. "Now let's bring this wood back. My bones ache from all this chopping, and it would be nice to get a decent sleep before tomorrow's festivities."

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yes, I am, in fact, alive! I'm just as surprised as you are. Adding this modest little piece is what every other story I've published has been; an experiment. I wish so very much that I could focus all my passion and good ideas on one story at a time; sadly, I don't have this skill. As such, this means I'll probably never finish anything; not easily, anyway. Having completely lost my confidence in writing my novel, I decided to tear myself away from it long enough to reread some of my fan fiction. And while I fully intend to someday finish and hopefully publish said novel, right now I'm in the yo-yo stage, and I see no light at the end of that tunnel. I do love to write; I simply cannot stay interested for long enough to complete one story. Sometimes I get lucky; Wolfsbane was an example of that. But that was always going to be a short story, from the very beginning. I had no idea that people would love it so much and actually ask me to make it longer.**

**That's where it all fell to pieces. Now I was in some kind of commitment, because now that I had started a sequel, people expected me to dish it out. My short story was becoming a long one, which required much more conscientious planning. I was creating yet another excuse not to work on my novel. Another unfinished project. Story of my life.**

**That said, I must say this, regarding the story. I've decided, once and for all, that writing fan fiction while digging up inspiration for my novel is better than not writing at all. So, this long-overdue new chapter of Wolfsbane II is my way of dipping my toes in the pool, to check and see if there are still readers out there who want this story finished. Now I will shut up and proceed to the story-telling before my author's note becomes longer than the actual chapter.**

* * *

"_Alpha. We've caught a pair of rabbits."_

Argon turned his head to glare at his second-in-command. Rabbits! Those were what his pack was reduced to eating. Though he himself had not eaten for days, the thought of yet again devouring the scraps of the forest was more than his pride could bear.

"_I am not hungry," _he growled, and padded away, toward the dense hollow where his diminutive pack called home, tucked into a corner of Ordon rarely visited by humans. They lived many miles beyond the farms, bordering on a province not recognized by Hyrule Proper. But such boundaries mattered little to these wolves; the only provinces they knew were those guarded by other packs, and likewise the territories of the other local creatures. And, to his disgust, Ordon Village.

For the last month or so, Argon had not failed to notice the dwindling population of deer that previously roamed these parts. Winter was coming, and many of the herbivores had decided to seek out a warmer climate. Like birds flying south, the last of the prey animals were quickly disappearing. It had long been normal for their pack to harvest alternative prey in such a case; why Argon's animosity was brewing, even he could not say. He had, unlike most of his kind, developed a dangerous sense of entitlement. Eating rabbits when he could be eating deer was nothing short of shameful for him.

Kage followed his Alpha closely, eyes downcast as always. _"Is something bothering you, Alpha?"_

"_Oh, if only 'bother' was the best way to describe it," _said Argon angrily. _"Wrestling for scraps may not be different for the likes of you, but I simply cannot bear it. We were once a proud pack, now look at us. Weightless and stale on the fringes of society!"_

They approached the thicket, where the rest of the pack dwelled in silence. Remus, the old one, rested his silvery head upon his paws, and appeared to doze lightly. Randall stood over the corpses of two cottontails, wagging his tail and just barely containing his desire to devour both rabbits himself. His ribs were visible beneath his gray pelt.

Argon gazed upon the kill with a stormy expression. _"Such thin specimens, at that. Is that all there is?"_

"_It is all we could find," _Kage said honestly, sounding a little ashamed. _"There are the goats, of course, but…"_

"_Yes, I am aware," _said Argon curtly.

Ever since his confrontation with Link, Argon had ordered his pack to avoid killing the village herd. He was not a foolish wolf; although he would never admit explicitly so to his pack, the Alpha knew that he was not powerful enough to withstand Link's dominance. He was, as Link had confirmed before, the unofficial leader of his pack, and on top of that was equipped with the enviable abilities of a human. Several times Argon had discreetly caught a glimpse of Link's human form; he was a young man, clever and energetic, one of the wolves' worst enemies.

Argon looked regally to Randall, and said disdainfully, _"You caught these yourself?"_

"_Yes. … Kage helped," _the wolf replied, hastily licking away the saliva that had gathered around his lips.

Regarding the subordinate like one would a pesky fly, Argon said, _"If you will be satisfied with the bread crumbs of the table, so be it."_

Needing no further encouragement, Randall snatched one of the rabbits and carried it off into the thicket. Kage followed, likely to demand half of the kill from his partner. Argon sighed over the remaining rabbit, considering it, until the white wolf emerged from the den without a sound.

She was small for her breed, and still being a new addition to the pack she spoke to no one. She padded meekly to a sunny spot some feet away and lay down, not daring to make no move toward the kill.

Argon picked up the carcass and approached the white wolf, flashing a crooked smile as he dropped it at her feet. _"You look hungry, Quinn. Eat this and regain your strength. Winter is on its way, and most prey will be taking shelter for the next few months."_

Quinn sniffed it, glanced up cautiously at the Alpha wolf, and gently, daintily, took it in her teeth, offering a slight smile in gratitude.

Argon left her, trailing back into their den to find his Beta, who had ripped a limb from the rabbit carcass and feasted noisily on it in the corner.

"_Kage."_

The black wolf rose immediately, facing his leader with a determined willingness. His muzzle was stained with red. Argon waved him along with a jerk of his head, and the pair separated themselves from the rest of the pack, to a place from which they could see further than the trees, vaguely toward the pastures of Ordon. It was late in the day, and the rumbling of the herd being shepherded into the barn was faintly audible on the wind.

"_Do you know what makes the humans completely powerful over us?"_ Argon asked his servant soberly.

Kage looked over the pastures, thinking. _"They have their tools and their fences, and they have formidable *spear-launchers and sharpened **fist-fangs. Their dens are massive and tower over the ground. And… they study and learn, and carry their weapons in their heads as well."_

"_An astute observation," _said Argon. _"Don't forget that they are well-fed; therefore they have their spirits and strengths about them."_

Kage nodded; he was unsure what point at which the Alpha was driving, but kept his silence as always, like a good subordinate did, and patiently waited.

Argon continued, _"But strip those qualities, and what remains of them? Tell me."_

Now Kage allowed the confusion to show upon his face. Having meant to answer his own question in the first place, Argon spoke for him.

"_They are animals. Just like us, they are flesh and bone and blood. They are no greater, and no more deserving of health and supremacy than we are. You understand me?"_

"_Yes, Alpha."_

Growling deep in his throat, Argon said, _"I know more than most wolves do in a lifetime, yet I admit that humans have always been a mystery even to me. How they have claimed command of all other creatures is no secret. For me, it has always been the question 'why' that escapes me. Why? A beast that walks with its head in the air, that cannot run fast nor tear with its teeth, nor smell what we can or even hear like we do. How then? It's their brains, as you said."_

Kage met his eyes gravely, but said nothing. He seemed anxious to understand what his Alpha was trying to say, but he was simpler than Argon and was not as affected by the analysis.

"_Their brains,"_ Argon went on. _"They contemplate things. Instead of filling their lives with chores of bare-boned survival, they look for ways to thrive. They ask themselves 'why'. Well, I've been contemplating a few things myself, and I've come to a new conclusion."_

The last of distant hoof beats faded as the barn closed its doors for the night. A dusky orange glow settled over the pastures, and a somewhat ominous darkness crept into the wolves' tiny thicket.

Argon looked away from his Beta and smiled his crooked smile for no one to see. _"As contemplating creatures are entitled," _he said. _"We are justified in taking what is rightfully ours."_

* * *

***Spear-launchers = Bows and arrows.**

****Fist-Fangs = Swords.**


End file.
